On Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver directed criticism at David Ellison regarding his impending role in the media industry.
Oliver began by examining UnitedHealthCare’s controversial history of denying essential healthcare to patients, referencing the upcoming sentencing of Luigi Mangione for the killing of CEO Brian Thompson, an event that sparked public approval due to widespread frustration with the company.
He highlighted multiple instances of patients facing denied claims, notably a cancer patient whose family had to pay $95,000 out-of-pocket because of UnitedHealthCare’s refusals.
During this segment, Oliver took aim at David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, who is seeking regulatory approval to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of HBO.
Oliver commented on the case, stating, “Ultimately, the patient’s parents covered the $95,000 expense, and while the treatment was successful, relying on wealth cannot be the foundation of healthcare access. This system seems to be the very one that allows you to oversee HBO.”
He added, “My soon-to-be business daddy has an actual business daddy,” as the screen displayed an image of Ellison alongside his father, Larry Ellison, the billionaire founder of Oracle, who has committed to personally guarantee the $40.4 billion equity financing for the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal.
Oliver concluded with, “To be clear, I have great respect for this arrangement and would never mock it, unlike Stephen Colbert, who has been less restrained.”
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